The Little Warrior
by Laney 916
Summary: When their four-year-old daughter Risa becomes ill, Rei and Yūichirou take her to the hospital and learn that she has leukemia. Rated for language, mild violence, and some mild sexual content, but nothing too explicit.
1. Prologue

_**This takes place ten years after Sailor Stars, so the inner senshi are in their mid-twenties, Haruka and Michiru are in their late-twenties, Setsuna is in her late-twenties or early thirties, Hotaru is twenty-two or twenty-three (not sure how old she was in Stars, but I'm estimating her age here since she was 12 in the S series), and Chibi-Usa is almost 5.**_

_**Summary: When their four-year-old daughter Risa becomes ill, Rei and Yūichirou take her to the hospital and learn that she has leukemia.**_

**The Little Warrior**

Prologue: Happy Birthday Risa!

_- March 25, 2007 -_

Hikawa Shrine was buzzing with activity as Rei and Yūichirou, with the help of their friends, decorated the house in preparation for their daughter's fourth birthday party. Risa had asked for a Hello Kitty themed party and her parents were more than happy to oblige. They couldn't believe she was already four. It didn't feel like that much time had passed.

Rei and Yūichirou got married after Rei's graduation from Tokyo University and a few months later, Rei became pregnant. They were overjoyed with this news. Her grandfather passed away the year before due to complications of triple bypass surgery, but Rei knew that if he were alive, he would have been just as proud.

Risa was born on March 25, 2003, named after Rei's late mother. She was the picture of health, never sick beyond a common cold and always energetic and strong-willed like her mother with her father's mild temper. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes a deep violet.

"Rei-chan, you need any help with that?" Ami offered as she walked into the main room to see Rei carrying wrapped boxes to the table.

"No thanks Ami-chan. I got it." the raven haired woman replied as she organized the gifts.

"You know, you shouldn't work yourself so hard." the blue haired senshi chastised mildly as she pointed to the small bulge in her friend's belly. Rei was currently almost four months along with her second child and due in September.

"I know. Yūichirou gets on me about it all the time." She chuckled.

"Is there anything else you need help with?"

"Yeah. Could you please put up the rest of the streamers? Usagi tried to do it earlier, but the klutz nearly fell off the ladder so I made her help with something else instead." Ami laughed and carefully taped the pink and lavender crêpe paper strips with Hello Kitty faces along the walls and doorways. The two women had just finished decorating when they heard the sound of a car horn outside. Rei went to check it out and saw Makoto lifting bags of food out of the trunk of her black 2001 Toyota Corolla.

"Here, let me grab those, Mako-chan." Rei said, picking up some of the bags.

"Sure. I appreciate it." Yūichirou, Ami, Minako, and Usagi rushed to help as well and in almost no time at all, they brought the bags inside.

Yūichirou kissed his wife on the lips and went to Risa's room to wake her from her nap. A little while later, Risa excitedly ran through the house dressed in her favorite purple dress, white tights, and black patent leather dress shoes. Her hair was in a partial ponytail which was held in place by a glittery pink heart clip. The weather was still a bit chilly, so she wore a white button-down sweater over her dress.

"Wow! Look at all these presents, Mama!" She shouted as she saw the mountain of gifts all over the table. Minako giggled and attempted to lure the child away from them.

"Why don't we save those until your party, Risa-chan. How about we go check out the bounce house?" She offered.

"Yay! Can you go in with me, Auntie Minako?"

"You bet!"

"Get your jacket, Risa. It's cold out there." Yūichirou warned.

"Okay Papa." He helped her put on her jacket and Rei couldn't help but grin as he started to put a hat, scarf, and heavy gloves on her as well.

"Yūichirou, it's fifty degrees. She doesn't need all that!" The girls laughed in amusement at his almost comical attempt to dress his daughter.

"I guess you're right, Rei."

"Wait up, guys! I'm going with you." Usagi said as she readjusted her jacket and followed them out to the inflatable play structure. Rei, Ami, and Makoto put the finishing touches on the food as Mamoru arrived with Chibi-Usa, who greeted the girls quickly and ran to the bounce house to play with Risa. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna arrived not long after. Hotaru called earlier, telling Yūichirou she'd be a little late because of her part time job and she had to stop home to pick up her gift. Risa's friends from preschool came too and they went bananas at the sight of the '_jumping thing_' as they called it and even more so, the cake. It took some sort of convincing or bribery from their parents to keep them from sticking their fingers into the icing before anyone had a chance to slice it.

Hotaru finally arrived around 4:30 or 4:45, just in time for Risa to open her gifts. Risa beamed with delight as she tore through the bows and wrapping paper.

"Mama, look! A Hello Kitty card!" She squealed, holding up a ¥5,000 gift card for the Sanrio store. Sanrio was one of her favorite shops. She knew exactly what she wanted to buy with it: a Hello Kitty drawing board.

"Wow! That's awesome."

"Can we go there after my party?"

"It'll be almost bed time when the party's over. Maybe another day, okay?"

"Okay."

"What do you say, Risa?" Yūichirou reminded, trying to get her to use her manners.

"Thank you Auntie Makoto."

"You're very welcome." Makoto replied and handed her another gift.

"_To Risa, Happy birthday! Love, Auntie Usagi and family._" Risa read, carefully sounding out the words on the gift tag, a skill she had learned when she was only three-and-a-half. Then she opened it and inside was a baby doll that came with its own food, bottle, and diapers. To go with it, she got a doll stroller that held two dolls. She thanked Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa and finished opening the rest of her presents. She got new handmade outfits from Setsuna, a collection of children's books from Ami, a portable karaoke machine from Minako, ¥10,000 in cash from Haruka and Michiru, Easy Bake Oven from Usagi's parents complete with baking mixes, tickets to Tokyo Disneyland from Yūichirou's parents, Barbie dolls, a pretend food set, toy shopping cart, and a toy medical kit from her friends, a twenty-one inch Hello Kitty plush doll from Hotaru, and Hello Kitty outfits, dress-up costumes, kids' makeup and jewelry, and a gold aquamarine birthstone locket with her name engraved from her parents.

"Risa, close your eyes. Papa and I have one more special surprise for you," Rei told her. Risa smiled and did as she was told. After a couple minutes, Rei and Yūichirou returned with a gift too large to be wrapped.

"You can open your eyes now, Sweetie." Yūichirou said. Risa's eyes grew wide and she ran around screaming as she saw a Hello Kitty battery powered coupe.

"Yes! I got a car!"

"Way to go, Risa-chan." Ami replied.

"It's beautiful." Minako added.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Makoto chimed in.

"Pretty sharp there, little lady." Haruka commented. The little girl got into her car and started to cruise around the house, but Rei made her turn around and take it outside.

"No riding in the house."

"Okay, I'll keep it outside, Mama. I promise." Risa pretended to buckle her seat belt and went for a drive around the property. Haruka and Michiru followed behind her to supervise and steal a few kisses from each other while her parents and the rest of the senshi cleaned up the wrapping paper. Some of the kids went back to the bounce house while the rest either followed Risa around hoping for a turn with the car or played games.

Later, Minako put on a concert for the kids, a clown gave out balloon animals and performed tricks, guests did karaoke and played games, went on pony rides, and pigged out. It was near the end of the night by now and it was time for cake.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Risa! Happy birthday to you!" The group sang as Risa clapped and giggled. She couldn't wait to blow out the candles and jumped at it the moment Rei told her to. The cake had a picture of Hello kitty on it and white frosting with pink, yellow, and purple flowers and the cake itself was a chocolate and vanilla swirl cake with cream and strawberries in the middle. Rei served it, along with cups of coffee and tea for the adults and milk, soda, and juice for the kids and whoever wasn't a tea or coffee drinker.

The party winded down and the guests said their good-byes and left. Rei and Yūichirou allowed Risa to play with her new toys a while before she got ready for bed.

"Alright, you little fireball. Time for your bath." Rei picked up her daughter and carried her into the bathroom. She filled the tub and adjusted the temperature, then she bathed her and dressed her in one of her new night gowns and tucked her into bed.

"What story should we read tonight?" Yūichirou asked her, going through the bookshelf.

"What about 'Sleeping Beauty?'"

"Excellent choice." Yūichirou read the book and by the time he finished, she was fast asleep.

"Sleep tight, Risa. We love you." Rei said as she and Yūichirou kissed her on the good night. Rei turned off the ceiling light, leaving only the night light on and she and Yūichirou cleaned up and got ready for bed themselves.

She leaned towards him and kissed him passionately on the lips and she whispered, "I love you." as she laid her head on his chest.

"I love you too, Baby." He returned the kiss and wrapped one arm around her and placed his other hand on her belly as he whispered an "I love you." to their unborn son or daughter. The couple gave a final kiss and fell asleep.

_**Hope this turns out well. The plot will start to develop in the next chapter. ¥5,000 ≈ $50 US dollars and ¥10,000 ≈ $100 US dollars.**_


	2. Chapter 1: Diagnosis

**The Little Warrior**

* * *

Chapter 1: Diagnosis

* * *

_-April 2, 2007-_

It's been a week since Risa's birthday and Rei and Yūichirou were getting ready for work. It was seven-thirty AM and Risa was still asleep, which was a little unusual for her. Still, her parents didn't worry, until Rei went to wake her.

She went into her daughter's room and gently shook her as she usually did, but the four-year-old didn't respond. Not sure if she was sick or not, she decided to race into the bathroom and grab the thermometer. She put the thermometer in the child's ear and a minute later, the device beeped. The display screen read '103.2°', sending her into a panic.

" Yūichirou!" She yelled, and he ran into the room to see her holding their daughter's unconscious form in her arms.

"What's wrong, Rei?" He asked with deep concern.

"I tried to wake her, but she won't wake up so I took her temperature and it's too high." She replied, sobbing.

"I'll call our bosses and let them know we have a family emergency and then I'll call Mamoru and have him meet us at the hospital. You take her to the car and I'll be there in a minute." He urged her. Rei nodded and carried Risa to the car as quickly as she could and buckled her in her car seat. Yūichirou came out a few minutes later and they sped to Jūban Hospital.

Mamoru met them in the Emergency Room and put Risa on one of the empty beds to examine her.

"When did she first become ill?" He asked them as he listened to her heart and lungs.

"Last night when I put her to bed. She said her stomach hurt and she felt tired. Earlier in the day, she fell off a swing at the park and I found a lot of bruises on her that weren't from the fall, but she told me she was fine, so I didn't think anything of it." Rei told him.

"Hmm...It's probably just a virus, but I'd like to run some tests just to be sure."

"What kinds of tests?" Yūichirou asked.

"For starters, I want to get a CBC. Then, depending on what those results show, we'll go from there."

"What are you suspecting?" Rei questioned.

"I'm not an expert on this, but I believe she may have leukemia." This hit Rei and Yūichirou like a ton of bricks. They had heard of leukemia before, but they never in a million years thought it would happen to their family.

Mamoru drew several tubes of blood and labeled them, then rushed them off to the lab to be tested.

* * *

An hour later, the results were back and they were not what they were hoping for.

Another Doctor came into the room, holding a sheet of paper with the results. His body language and facial expression told the worried parents that something was terribly wrong.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Yoshida. I am the one in charge of Risa's care. May we talk?"

"What did the tests show?" Yūichirou inquired.

"The tests show that she has a very low red blood cell count, low platelets, and an extremely high number of white blood cells."

"What does that mean?" Yūichirou questioned him.

"Your daughter has leukemia." Rei immediately leaned her head against her husband's chest and cried as he ran his fingers through her silky black hair. Neither of them could believe it. Risa had always been so healthy.

"Will she be okay?" Rei asked him.

"I don't know which type she has, but I'll do more tests and when they come back, I'll start her on treatment immediately." The couple nodded and Dr. Yoshida admitted Risa to the Oncology floor to perform the tests.

Again, the family waited anxiously. When those results came back a few hours later, they confirmed that Risa was suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia, subtype M3, also known as APL.

Dr. Yoshida handed Rei and Yūichirou information about her type of cancer and explained to them that APL was a very rare type of cancer in children and the treatment for it would be different from the other AML subtypes, but the chance of survival was in her favor.

* * *

That evening, Risa woke up and found herself in a strange and unfamiliar room, hooked up to a bunch of wires and an IV which was dripping her first dose of chemotherapy drugs into her veins. She wailed and cried loudly until her mother put her arms around her to comfort her.

"It's alright, Risa. Mama's here."

"What is this place? It's scary. I want to go home." Risa said tearfully, her entire body trembling as she tried to pull out the IV.

"I know you do, sweetie, but you need to stay here for a little while so you can get better."

"No! I wanna go home right now! Take me home!"

"I wish I could, but if I take you home now, you will get sicker." Rei hesitated to tell her about the leukemia. She hated to lie to her, but she didn't know if the little girl would understand or how she would react.

"Why am I sick, Mama?"

"You remember when you told me you were tired, right? Well, there are millions of tiny things in your body called cells and the bad cells are fighting all the good ones and trying to make you sick."

"Will I be okay?"

"The Doctors here are gonna give you medicine to make the bad cells go away and the good cells come back and then you will get better again."

"Okay. How long do I have to be here?"

"I don't know, baby. That's up to Dr. Yoshida and his nurses. When they see that the medicine is working, they'll let you go home.

"I hope I get better soon. I wanna go to the Hello Kitty store and get that drawing thing."

"I know you do. How about I ask Papa to bring my laptop and your gift card with him when he comes back in the morning and you can go on their website to order it?"

"Yeah!" Risa stretched and let out a yawn. "Mama, can you read me a story right now? I wanna go back to sleep."

"Sure, kiddo." Rei reached into her overnight bag and pulled out Risa's favorite book and began to read. By the time she got to the fifth or sixth page, Risa had fallen asleep.

"Goodnight, Risa." Rei kissed her goodnight and whispered 'I love you', then she bowed her head and prayed. _'Please, Kami-sama. Make my daughter well again.'_

* * *

_**A little short, but hope you like it anyway. Next chapter should be up sooner. In case you are wondering, I got the information about Risa's cancer from google and from reading blogs.**_


	3. Chapter 2: Side Effects

**The Little Warrior**

* * *

Chapter 2: Side Effects

* * *

_-April 6-_

It has been four days since Risa was diagnosed and she was tolerating the treatments very well. The first drug, ATRA, hadn't produced any side effects yet, while another drug, Idarubicin, was causing her to experience episodes of nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and her red and white blood cell counts were beginning to drop. Soon, she and her family would find out whether or not the drugs were working.

That morning, Risa and Rei were playing Monopoly Jr. Risa was in the middle of buying yet another property when Dr. Yoshida came into the room with the results of her last set of blood tests. Risa grew bored of the game and put it away and returned to her bed to listen to what the Doctor had to report.

"What did the results show?" Rei asked him nervously. She swallowed hard. It felt as if she had a lump caught in her throat.

"The number of leukemia cells went down drastically." he informed proudly, amazed at how quickly she was responding.

"That's great news!" Rei half-shouted, pulling her daughter into a hug.

"Yes, it is. When we first started, there were fifty-three percent cancer cells in her blood. Now, they're down to fourteen percent."

"You hear that, Risa? You're kicking cancer's butt!" Rei exclaimed.

"Yes!" Risa shouted as she did a little victory dance and jumped around on the bed as much as she could without knocking out her IV. "Does that mean I can go home?" She missed being at home, playing with her friends at school and sleeping in her own bed.

"Not yet, but I think it'll happen soon. Yoshida-sensei wants to make sure the bad guys are gone first."

"Okay." The little girl stopped jumping and sat down and colored in her My Little Pony coloring book.

* * *

_-Afternoon-_

Risa was in the playroom, playing a racing game with Haruka. Haruka and Michiru had stopped by and offered to sit with her, allowing Rei to go home and get some much needed sleep.

"I'm gonna beat you!" Risa teased as the word 'Go!' flashed on the TV screen.

"Oh yeah?"

Haruka gave her a head start, as she had done with Usagi and Minako the first time she raced against them. Risa sped around the track at speeds of over two hundred miles per hour, crashing a little as she neared some of the turns. Haruka took advantage of this and managed to catch up.

The race was neck and neck the entire time, but at the last second, Risa zoomed across the finish line and won!

"Good game, little one!" Haruka congratulated her.

"I won! Did you see that, Auntie Michiru? I beat Auntie Haruka!" Michiru chuckled softly.

"Yes, I saw it. You're pretty good." she agreed. Turning to Haruka, she added with a grin, "You let her win, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." the blond admitted flatly.

"No, I let you let me win!" Risa replied, sticking out her tongue. She giggled as Haruka reached over and tickled her tummy.

The trio played for almost three hours. Michiru put on a violin concert for Risa and the other children who were playing there, then she and Haruka danced with them until Risa became tired and wanted to go back to her room.

"Thanks, girls. That was fun!"

"You're welcome, Risa-chan." the two outer senshi replied in unison.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei sat on the porch, just staring absently as the clouds went by. She tried to take a nap, but she found herself unable to sleep. She was so sick with worry that sleep was the last thing on her mind. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice when someone came walking up the steps.

"Rei-chan! Earth to Rei!" the voice screeched. This snapped Rei back to reality and she tilted her head back down to see Usagi, who had arrived to give the grief stricken parents a batch of Makoto's freshly baked cookies.

"Usagi, what brings you here?" Rei questioned, though she wasn't too surprised. Usagi always had a habit of coming over without calling first. She was getting better with it though.

"Mako-chan asked me to give you these cookies. She said she's gonna stop by the hospital after work."

"Oh, that was kind of her. I'll have to tell her 'thank you' the next time I see her."

"So, how is she?"

"She's doing better. The chemo is wearing her out, but she's handling it well."

"I'm glad, and if you or Yūichirou ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I'll always be here for you." Tears fell down the raven haired woman's cheeks as she gave her best friend a hug.

"Thanks Usagi. I appreciate that. Would you like to come in for some tea?"

"I'd love to." Rei led Usagi into the main room and prepared the tea, then the two women sat at the table and talked for a while, until Rei could barely keep her eyes open anymore and Usagi sent her to bed.

* * *

Back at the hospital, it was now five forty-five and Makoto had arrived straight from work as she promised. Risa was thrilled to have another visitor. She was getting rather lonely in this place and it was driving her crazy!

"Hey, Risa-chan. How's my favorite little niece?" The thunder senshi greeted.

"I'm better, thank you."

"That's good. I brought you some of your favorite double chocolate chip cookies."

"Yay!" Makoto handed Risa the cookie box and the small child picked up a cookie and took a bite. "Yummy! Thanks."

"Anytime!" Risa tried to eat a few more, but she didn't have much of an appetite and her stomach was hurting, so she didn't force herself.

"Auntie Makoto, can you please put the cookies on the table?" she requested.

"Sure. Are you okay?" Risa simply nodded, trying desperately not to throw up. Makoto was deeply concerned for her 'niece'. She appeared pale and refused to eat any of her meals the entire day, only munching on a small bowl of fruit and two forkfuls of rice from what Haruka and Michiru had mentioned on their way out, and now a cookie and a half.

"I want Mama." Risa mumbled, feeling a little cranky.

"Mama had to get some sleep, so she went home, but I'll call Papa. Is that okay?"

"Okay. Tell him to bring my Barbie nightgown and my big Hello Kitty doll too."

"I will."

Makoto dialed Yūichirou's cell phone number and informed him of the situation. He arrived shortly after with the things his daughter requested.

"I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Auntie Makoto." Risa said with a yawn and Makoto hugged her goodbye and left.

* * *

It was only six-thirty, but she was bushed. She had a lot of fun today, despite being sick off and on. She put on her nightgown and got under the covers, wrapping her tiny arms around her favorite stuffed animal as her father tucked them both in.

She did not sleep though. She was too uncomfortable and nauseous and asked Yūichirou to help her get to the bathroom. He held her hair back as she vomited forcefully into the toilet.

"Papa, I feel so yucky." She spoke, barely above a whisper.

"I know, sweetheart. Mama and I will talk to Dr. Yoshida tomorrow morning and try to get you something to make you feel better." They stayed there for the next half-hour until nothing else was coming up, then he helped her back into bed.

The vicious cycle continued and it seemed this would never end, but finally, by ten o'clock, she was completely wiped out and fell asleep in her father's arms. He carried her to bed, tucked her back in, and turned out the light.

* * *

_Next chapter soon! Thanks for the reviews. I enjoy reading them._


	4. Chapter 3: Relief

**The Little** **Warrior**

* * *

Chapter 3: Relief

* * *

_-April 9-_

A week into Risa's treatments, she was still responding well. The number of cancer cells were continuing to drop, and with them, her healthy blood cells and platelets.

Rei and Yūichirou worried that she would get an infection, but Dr. Yoshida told them not to worry about it too much unless her absolute neutrophil count was below one thousand. Anything below five hundred carried a high risk of infection and needed to be monitored vigilantly.

The chemo still made Risa sick to her stomach and she had a poor appetite, but Dr. Yoshida prescribed Tylenol with Codeine and increased the dosage of Zofran, which provided some relief. Rei also noticed that Risa's nose bled more than usual, but Dr. Yoshida wasn't concerned as her platelets weren't dangerously low and her blood was still clotting enough on its own without medical intervention.

That afternoon, Risa was playing dress up with her stuffed animals. As she finished brushing her hair, she examined the brush and let out a shriek of terror as she found clumps of her hair stuck in its bristles.

"Mama, Papa!"

"What is it, Risa-chan?" Rei asked.

"My hair's coming out!"

"It's okay, little one. It'll grow back." Yūichirou assured her.

"Why is it coming out?"

"Umm," Rei began. She wasn't sure how to explain it to her without frightening her, but she cleared her throat and told her the best she could. "you remember when we told you about the medicines Dr. Yoshida is giving you to beat the bad guys?"

"Yes." Risa replied.

"Well, sometimes they make people lose their hair too." The raven haired woman continued.

"Will it grow back?" Rei and Yūichirou wrapped their arms around their daughter and smiled at her.

"Of course it will." Yūichirou said with a nod.

"What do I do until it does?"

"Mama or I can trim your hair, so that it will still look thicker and fuller for a little while. Then, after it falls out, we can buy you hats, scarves, or a wig."

"Okay. Can you cut my hair? I want to cut it like Hanako's." Hanako was one of Risa's friends from school. She had her light brown hair in a bob style, cut just above her shoulders and it complemented her face nicely. Risa thought it looked beautiful and wanted to be just like her.

"Sure. I'll cut it for you now if you'd like." Rei offered.

"Yay! Thank you, Mama." Rei pulled a pair of scissors from her purse and went into the bathroom and grabbed a towel from the towel rack.

"You're welcome. Sit here." She instructed as she tapped on a chair. The little girl sat down and Rei draped the towel over her daughter's shoulders and started to cut her hair.

* * *

Minako stepped out of the studio, walking swiftly along the sidewalk as the wind blew through her long golden blond locks. She had just finished a photo shoot to promote a Romance film she was starring in called _'Route Venus'_, based on her first hit album of the same name. She had written the script herself with the help of a professional screenwriter. Having been cast in a number of minor roles since her high school years, this film would give her that huge break in her acting career, or so she hoped.

Now, she had the rest of the day off and she was on her way to Makoto's bakery for a snack. She was starving, her stomach rumbling, but luckily, the shop was just four blocks away. She walked at a medium, purposeful pace and made it there in just under seven minutes.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The thunder Senshi greeted politely.

"Yo!"

"Minako, hey. What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just finished work and I was just about to stop at the hospital, but I wanted to buy more of your delicious cupcakes."

"Sure. What would you like?"

"I'd like a dozen of them. Two mocha fudge, three strawberry, three green tea, two sakura, and two mochi with azuki filling and green tea frosting. I want to get something for Risa too, but I don't know what."

"Well, Rei said she's developed an aversion to anything with chocolate in it, saying it tastes like metal, so I baked some vanilla and strawberry ones, plus a few Elvis ones which are banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and peanut butter chips."

"Great! How much?" Makoto gave the price and Minako handed her a ¥5,000 bill. The brunette opened the register and gave her the correct change and packed the cupcakes into two cardboard boxes.

"Thank you. Have a nice day!"

"You too." the blond replied as she walked out of the bakery. The hospital was a block away and it took her only two minutes.

* * *

"Auntie Minako!" Risa called excitedly as Minako came into the room and set the cupcakes on the tray table.

"Hey Risa-chan. I love your hair!"

"Mama did it for me." the child beamed.

"It's gorgeous. It suits you perfectly."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Look what I brought for you!"

"What did you buy this time?" Rei inquired, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Cupcakes. Mako-chan remembered to make some without chocolate for her, knowing how picky she's been." Minako opened the boxes and displayed the cupcakes for Rei, Yūichirou, and Risa to choose from. Rei opted for a mochi and green tea cupcake, Yūichirou picked a sakura one, and Minako chose mocha fudge.

Risa chose an Elvis cupcake, since she was craving peanut butter at the moment, and took a small bite. She was delighted by the flavors and devoured the entire treat. This was the most she had eaten in a week and it made her parents happy, though nervous about how she would tolerate the food and keep it down. She was surprisingly still hungry and reached for another cupcake.

"Be careful, sweetie." Yūichirou reminded her. "We don't want you to get sick from eating too much too fast."

"Okay. Can I have another one though?"

"Okay." Risa grabbed a strawberry one and tasted it. It was delicious and she finished it too. She was full by now and requested to have some saved for later.

"Mako-chan has really outdone herself this time." Rei said, smiling.

"Yeah, these are amazing." Yūichirou agreed.

"I agree. To Mako-chan, the galaxy's greatest chef!" Minako exaggerated. The group ate more cupcakes and closed up the boxes so the rest of them wouldn't go to waste, then they chatted until visiting hours were over.

Later that night, after Rei and Yūichirou gave Risa her bath and tucked her into bed, Yūichirou fell asleep lying next to his daughter while Rei, who wasn't ready to sleep yet, logged onto a blog site on her Blackberry and typed a new entry.

"_Risa was much better today. She was energetic and is starting to eat more. Just watching her today, it was almost as if she didn't have cancer at all. She looks wonderful._

_She is beginning to lose her hair now, so I shortened it to make it appear temporarily thicker and fuller. She was melancholy about it at first, but she seems to be accepting it just fine._

_We received news this morning that the amount of leukemia in her blood is down to ten percent. Dr. Yoshida told us that she is doing fantastic and expects her to be in remission by next week at the rate things are going, if not sooner._

_Yūichirou and I are coping pretty well, considering everything that's happened. Full nights of sleep are rare, but we manage at least a few hours per night, or at least he does. Ami suggested that we go to counseling to help us feel better. We are looking into it. We'll do anything we can to help our little girl, even if we have to talk about our feelings to total strangers._

_The baby continues to grow and is very healthy. I am almost eighteen weeks along. We don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, although Risa is convinced it is another girl and refers to it as her baby. It always melts our hearts when she does that. She's like a little mommy. We agreed to wait until the birth to find out for sure._

_I must sign off for the night. Later!" _Rei added her signature, logged off and put her phone back in her purse, then she laid down on the roll away bed and stared over at her husband and child until she could no longer keep her eyes open and a smile formed on her lips as she fell asleep.


End file.
